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A couple of years ago on PW I shared my audio recordings from 1974 of the seven individual movements of Olivier Messiaen's "Visions of the Amen." I've now reconstructed the full performance (along with the narration) and have added visuals. The narration (written by Messiaen himself) and visuals may help make the work a bit more accessible to those hearing it for the first time.

I had my hands full (Piano 2) with the main themes of the work and the majority of the solo passages, but it was Dr. Cary Lewis who brilliantly navigated the infinitely more difficult bravura writing for Piano 1 !!

I do appreciate you listening to the entire recording. The work is long and challenging for both the listener and performers. Certainly couldn't have pulled it off without Cary Lewis.

At the time, Cary and I were teaching at small colleges in/near Lincoln Nebraska. We had both studied with the same piano prof at the University of North Texas (small world) but we attended UNT at different times and didn't meet until we were living in Nebraska.

Cary went on to have a rewarding career as a teacher and performer (see bio below) and is still actively performing. He was on the piano faculty of the National Music Camp at Interlochen for several years. About eight years ago I had the opportunity to hear him perform (with the Lanier Trio) in Sedona, AZ. It was fun to see him again after so many years !!

"Cary Lewis, pianist, is in constant demand as a collaborative pianist for soloists and chamber music groups. With degrees from the University of North Texas, as well as a doctorate and performer's certificate from the Eastman School of Music, he was a Fulbright scholar for two years in Vienna. His teachers include Eugene List, Brooks Smith, and Dieter Weber. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, the White House, the Kennedy Center, and Wigmore Hall in London, as well as with the National Philharmonic in Warsaw and in other music capitals of the United States and Europe. Dr. Lewis is recently retired from the faculty of Georgia State University in Atlanta, and currently resides in Portland, Oregon. He appears in numerous festivals throughout the year. Dr. Lewis can be heard on the Turnabout, Vanguard, Musical Heritage Society, Albany, ACA, and Gasparo labels, among others."